Toyota Land Cruiser MOT pass rate & common failures
133,732 MOT tests on the Toyota Land Cruiser (1980–2024) give it a 79.6% pass rate. Large SUVs of a similar age fail 21.8% of the time, so this is 1.4pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst Land Cruiser years
Ranked across Land Cruiser years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 93.5% of 2022 examples pass against 74.8% of 2002 ones.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (10.9%) and brakes (9.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, headlamp aim and rigid brake pipes — position lamp alone was recorded 5,430 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 6.4% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 25.1% once past 150k — 3.9× the risk.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 20.4% of the time against 21.1% for petrol.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: suspension was flagged on 30.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 21.4% in 2021 to 19.1% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Land Cruiser model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 54 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 47 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 34 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 54 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 89 | 83.2% | 16.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 185 | 82.7% | 17.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 326 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 346 | 81.2% | 18.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 660 | 82.9% | 17.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,285 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 1,577 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Brakes |
| 1995 | 1,268 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Brakes |
| 1996 | 2,236 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Brakes |
| 1997 | 5,616 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 5,636 | 76.0% | 24.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 5,865 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 5,388 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 6,842 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 7,240 | 74.8% | 25.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 9,446 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 12,012 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 11,281 | 76.3% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 8,203 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 6,655 | 77.4% | 22.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 3,959 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 2,656 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 3,783 | 83.7% | 16.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 2,692 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 2,354 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Brakes |
| 2013 | 2,352 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 3,948 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 3,984 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 3,338 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Brakes |
| 2017 | 2,456 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Brakes |
| 2018 | 3,456 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Brakes |
| 2019 | 2,706 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 1,445 | 91.8% | 8.2% | Brakes |
| 2021 | 1,064 | 93.4% | 6.6% | Brakes |
| 2022 | 1,035 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Brakes |
| 2023 | 72 | 97.2% | 2.8% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.9% | 14,566 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.4% | 12,552 |
| 3 | Suspension | 9.0% | 12,012 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.0% | 9,319 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.7% | 4,888 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.4% | 3,137 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 2.1% | 2,788 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.0% | 2,643 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 5,430 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 4,947 |
| 3 | Rigid brake pipes | 4,471 |
| 4 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 4,013 |
| 5 | Chassis condition | 3,998 |
| 6 | Wipers | 3,980 |
| 7 | Joints | 3,454 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 3,231 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 30.4% | 40,622 |
| 2 | Brakes | 26.3% | 35,160 |
| 3 | Body, structure & corrosion | 18.1% | 24,263 |
| 4 | Tyres | 14.0% | 18,707 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 11.1% | 14,774 |
| 6 | Other defects | 10.2% | 13,669 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5,694 | 6.4% |
| 30-60k | 11,901 | 9.6% |
| 60-90k | 14,633 | 13.7% |
| 90-120k | 20,495 | 19.3% |
| 120-150k | 25,155 | 23.1% |
| 150k+ | 55,762 | 25.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 124,325 | 20.4% |
| Petrol | 9,314 | 21.1% |
| Gas/LPG | 63 | 22.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29,029 | 21.4% |
| 2022 | 28,160 | 21.0% |
| 2023 | 26,534 | 20.3% |
| 2024 | 25,323 | 20.2% |
| 2025 | 24,686 | 19.1% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Land Cruiser
- Lighting & signalling (10.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.4% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Suspension (9.0% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Toyota Land Cruiser?
79.6% of the 133,732 Toyota Land Cruiser MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.4% fail rate, across model years 1980–2024.
What does the Toyota Land Cruiser most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.9% of tests, then brakes (9.4%).
Which Land Cruiser years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 93.5% and 2002 the weakest at 74.8%, from 1,035 and 7,240 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Land Cruiser MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.1% for 150k+, a 18.8-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Land Cruiser more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 20.4% of the time against 21.1% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 133,732 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.